Cabaret
by Just4FunFiction
Summary: Seven years have passed, and while everyone was expected to change as they grew up, no one could have predicted how Arnold would change. Now, with their final year of high school soon to start, on the night of his grandparent's wedding anniversary, can one of his friends maybe help him to see how he has changed and help him to deal with it?


Arnold sat in his room, looking up at the ceiling. He'd spent a lot of his recent days doing this, just staring up and doing nothing. It wasn't like when he was a kid anymore, when him and his friends would go outside and get involved in a crazy adventure, like try and stop a murder that was never going to happen, or go out to Elk Island and search the caves for the hidden treasure of a dead gangster. Nowadays, everyone did their own thing outside of high school, especially with their final year looming ever closer, and for Arnold, that meant staying at home. He didn't have a girlfriend to go out with like Gerald, or a job to go to like Harold; he wasn't a crazed stalker like Curly, and he didn't do drama productions like Eugene; Arnold just… did nothing.

Arnold often thought back to the earlier days- back then, he was always getting dragged into things with his friends, and they frequently seemed help from him, but somewhere along the line, it all stopped. No one went to him for advice, no one was asking him to parties or to go on adventures, and he very rarely saw Gerald outside of school, because of his aforementioned girlfriend Phoebe. For a while, Arnold went to others to see if he could join in on their activities, but he became so used to being told 'no' that he stopped asking. He didn't go out, or invite people over for anything not related to school. He just stopped caring, because the world no longer needed Arnold Shortman, in the way that it once had.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. "Arnold?" his Grampa called in. "It's me and Pookie. Can we come in?"

"Sure, Grampa," Arnold responded, rather flatly. His grandfather and grandmother both entered, dressed in formal attire. While Phil was in a black suit with a red tie, 'Pookie' was wearing a black ball gown. It was their wedding anniversary, and Arnold had made reservations for the two at the Circle Theatre. When he saw them come in, Arnold sat up and gave them a weak smile. "Happy anniversary, you two."

"Oh, thank you, Arnold," his grandmother told him, "and thank you so much for getting us those reservations. You know, you really didn't have to do that."

"It's really no bother. I bumped into Dino, and he owed me a favour, so he helped me get the reservations, because he'll be performing."

"Dino's performing?!" Phil burst out. "Oh, that's splendid, Arnold!"

"Yeah. Anyway, I hope you have a good time tonight."

"Actually, Arnold," Phil sat on the bed with Arnold, placing a hand on his shoulder, "we were kind of hoping you would come with us tonight."

Arnold raised his eyebrow. "Me? But, it's your anniversary, it should be just you two."

"Yes, but me and Pookie have been worried about you, Short Man. You're seventeen, and you only spend time at home now. You don't hang out with your little friends anymore."

"Well, they aren't so little anymore, and neither am I." It was true- while it happened pretty late, Arnold had his growth spurt a year and a half ago, and was now just short of six feet tall, which was pretty average in his class, with Stinky being near seven foot tall, and Eugene and Phoebe only just surpassing five feet. Arnold had also become more muscular, but nothing too special. "They have their own lives now, and their lives don't include me out of school. That's just how things are."

Phil struggled to argue with that. "Well… okay, but… erm… give me a second…"

"Arnold?" Pookie spoke up. "We may be drinking tonight, and we know you don't drink, so it would be really helpful of you if you came, so that if we do drink too much, we can count on you to help us home."

Arnold opened his mouth to argue further… but he couldn't. He just sighed, realising they were determined to bring him along. "Alright," he replied in defeat, "I'll come. Just give me a couple of minutes to get dressed."

Phil smiled. "There you go, Arnold! That's the spirit! We'll wait in the lounge for you."

So, Arnold's grandparents left him to get changed. As much as he didn't want to go out, Arnold knew he needed to put on something formal for the event, so he pulled out a white shirt, black tie and black dress pants, and slipped on some black shoes and socks. He didn't even look at the hat that was on his bookshelf- he hadn't worn it in so long, and he wasn't planning on starting again now.

* * *

Feeling ready, and making sure he had money, just in case, Arnold headed downstairs and let his grandparents know he was ready. They took his grandfather's Packard and drove down to the Circle Theatre. Despite its name, it was actually a dance club, with a bar and regularly held performers.

When they arrived, Arnold held the door open for his grandmother and helped her to get out. As they walked to the entrance, Arnold noticed how calm the night was. It had been a long time since he had been out on the streets at this time, and while he felt a little happy about being out, he would much rather have stayed at home that night. However, tonight was about his grandparents' anniversary, so he didn't say anything as they approached the bouncer.

"Name?" the bouncer, a large, thirty year old man with shades to hide his eyes, asked.

"We have a reservation, under the name, 'Shortman'," Arnold explained.

The bouncer checked the list, nodded and held open the door. "Thank you for coming, we hope you enjoy yourselves tonight."

Arnold led his grandparents in as they headed to their seat, which was close to the stage. The room had been kept looking nice over the years, ever since it was saved from being torn down. It had a polished wooden dance floor, and the stage had lilac velvet curtains stretching around the back. The crystal chandeliers above everyone provided lighting for the whole room, while the tables each had their own candle and flower pot atop. There were a few people in that night, but it wasn't full.

As Arnold, Phil and Pookie sat down, Dino Spumoni, dressed in a black tuxedo, saw them and walked over. "Good evening, lady and gentlemen," he greeted.

Arnold looked up to Dino and nodded, extending his hand. "Hey, Dino," Arnold greeted back, shaking hands with Dino, "thanks for booking the reservation for us."

"Hey, no problem, kid. You saved my career multiple times, it's the least I could do." He turned towards Phil and shook his hand as well. "Besides, he tells me it's a special night for you two."

"Actually, it's our wedding anniversary!" Phil explained.

"Well, congratulations! How many years have you held things together for?"

"Fifty-two years, and still going strong!" Pookie told him, making his eyes widen.

"You're kidding! Well, congratulations all the more then! How about I buy you the first round?"

"Why, thank you, Dino! I think I'll have a glass of whisky on the rocks!"

"Make that two," Phil added.

"What about you, kid?" Dino asked.

"I'll just have a water," Arnold told him.

"Ah, the designated driver. Okay, those will be right with you!"

So, Dino left to pay for their first round. "Gosh, how nice of him!" Pookie said to Phil.

"I know! It's been years since we last saw him, but he still knows his roots!" Phil looked over at Arnold, and saw that he was still feeling unenthused. "Hey, Short Man," Arnold looked up, "you feeling alright?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, Grampa."

"Well, if you're sure. Maybe the music will perk you up a bit." It didn't take long for the waiter to arrive with their order. "Well then," Phil raised his glass, and Pookie did the same, "here is to our fifty-second wedding anniversary, and to us having a good time as a family!"

"To family!" Pookie cheered as she and Phil clinked their glasses together, taking a sip of their drinks. "Ooh, that's the good stuff is that!"

Soon enough, a spotlight appeared on the stage, and the house lights dimmed as Dino walked on to applause. "Thank you, everybody," he said into the microphone, "and welcome to the Circle Theatre! Now, it won't just be me up here tonight, we have a couple of local artists looking to make their debut at this venue, but before we start the show, I'd like to give a shoutout to the Shortmans, Philip and Gertrude, for their fifty-second wedding anniversary! They put me up in their boarding house early on in my career, and a couple times later as well, so they mean a lot to me! Let's give them a round of applause!" Phil and Pookie stood up and waved as they received the applause from the crowd, before sitting back down. "Now, for my first number, I've got a number me and my partner Don came up with a long time ago, called 'Back In The Swing'. Hit it!"

So, the show started. For about an hour, Arnold remained seated as he watched Dino and a couple of less than decent local talents performed. While he did that, his grandparents, with a few drinks in them, occasionally danced along. Arnold would glance to the dance floor once or twice, but he never felt the urge to get out there himself. The simple fact was, there was no one for him to dance with. Eventually, Arnold grew bored, and was just sat, waiting for the night to end. Unfortunately, his grandparents were not ready to leave just yet, so he decided he needed a break.

"Listen, I'm getting a bit stuffy in here," he said, despite it being a blatant lie, "I need to step out for a moment."

"Okay, Arnold," Phil replied, his words slightly slurred, "be back s-soon."

Arnold nodded. As he stood up and made a beeline for the exit, Dino had just finished another song. "Okay, folks," he announced, "time for another local artist. From Hillwood High, singing a cover of Meghan Trainor's 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You', we have Rhonda Wellington Lloyd!"

That caused Arnold to freeze in his tracks. Had he heard that right? He turned around, and looking up to the stage, he gasped. There she was, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. She was wearing a stunning crimson cocktail dress down to her knees, with matching heels on her feet, and pearl bracelets on her wrists. Her raven hair flowed down her back, and her face had barely any makeup on, yet held a strong natural beauty. As she grew up, Rhonda had developed into a beautiful young woman, with a figure that many girls would dream for, but also in her personality. Arnold had noticed that Rhonda, while she still cared about fashion, had stopped caring about being cool, and was more focused on just being herself.

As the guitar began to play, Rhonda sang, and Arnold found himself drawn to her voice. It was angelic, and she looked both beautiful and comfortable upon the stage. She held onto the mic, and slowly swayed in time with the beat. As the song went on, Arnold found himself moving closer to the stage. He didn't dare interrupt her, but he just wanted to get closer to her. He stayed against the wall, as she continued to sing. She noticed him at one point, and gave a wink in his direction, causing him to blush. She kept on singing, all the way to the final note, and didn't miss a chord. When the song came to an end, everyone applauded, especially Arnold, and Rhonda bowed. She then proceeded to make her way to the bar at the back of the room, with Arnold following behind.

"Hey, Rhonda!" he greeted. She turned around and smiled. "That was amazing!"

"Oh, thank you, Arnold! I'm so glad to hear you liked it!" she told him. "I must admit, I hadn't expected to see you here tonight."

"Normally, I wouldn't, but it's my grandparents' wedding anniversary, and I'm sort of the chaperone for them."

She couldn't help but laugh, causing Arnold to mentally sigh as his smile grew. "It's good to see you haven't stopped being cute, Arnold." She ruffled his hair, since she was a little taller than him, and he blushed. "I'm surprised you don't have your hat on."

"Oh, erm, well, it doesn't really go with the outfit."

"Touché! So, what have you been up to lately? Apparently, not many people have heard from you lately."

"I haven't really been doing much of anything. I tend to just help out around the boarding house. I haven't really hung out with anyone in a while."

"How come? Not even Gerald has seen you recently, from what Phoebe told me the other day." She heard the bartender clear her throat, so Rhonda faced her. "Can I get a glass of lemonade, and a Yahoo soda for my friend?"

"Rhonda, you don't have to-"

She stopped him by placing a finger against his lips. "Ah, ah, ah! I insist!" The bartender didn't take long to prepare the drinks, and Rhonda quickly paid, grabbing her lemonade and handing Arnold his soda. She then escorted him to an empty table. "So, how come you don't see anyone outside of school nowadays?"

"I don't really know," Arnold explained, and it was the honest truth. "I guess that, somewhere down the line, we all grew up, and our paths just… drifted apart." He looked into her eyes. "Does that sound silly?"

"I wouldn't say silly, per se, but I happen to know a few of them have missed you. You don't do any of the school activities, you don't hang out after school with anyone, and you sit by yourself at lunch." She placed her hand against his. "You hardly ever seem happy, Arnold. A few of us have grown concerned."

"It's not so much that I'm not happy, but… I kind of feel like things changed, and I wasn't ready. Everyone I know has either a job or a relationship, and I… don't."

Rhonda didn't reply straight away. She took a moment to just look at Arnold- his eyes showed his anguish, and yet, they still had that sense of adventure and liveliness she knew from him as a kid. 'He must get it from his parents,' she thought, thinking back to the San Lorenzo trip, where Arnold was reunited with his parents.

"Well," she finally spoke, "not everyone is that way. I mean, I don't have a job."

"To be fair, Rhonda, your family is rich," Arnold pointed out, and they both chuckled.

"Fair point… but I don't have a boyfriend either." This seemed to genuinely surprise him, and she noticed. "I take it you are surprised?"

"Definitely!" He ran his finger against the now half-empty soda bottle. "I mean, you are the dream girl for every boy in our year, the year below, and the year above! You're the most popular girl, and you're… well…" he blushed as he finished his sentence, "so amazingly attractive."

She couldn't help but smile. "You are too adorable." She finished her lemonade. "But, it's true. I've been with a number of the guys, and I've turned down a few as well. Now that I think about it, there have only been two boys in our year that hasn't shown that kind of interest in me. One is Gerald, but he has been attracted to Phoebe since the third grade, so it doesn't bother me."

"And who's the second guy?" Arnold asked.

She smirked, smiling sweetly at him. "Well, he's cute, smart, funny, and he's been in my class for a long time. To tell you the truth, he's the one guy that I wouldn't have minded asking me out. And one other detail," she slowly walked her two fingers along the table towards Arnold, "he's sat right in front of me."

His face was now as red as her outfit. "R-really?"

"Of course. I don't know how you feel about me exactly, and if there is someone else you have your eye on, then I understand, but if there isn't, then I would really love to ask you out. What do you say?"

It was a bit sudden for him, finding out all this, but for some reason, he didn't even have to make a decision. As soon as the song changed, he knew what to say.

"I say…" he got to his feet and held out his hand. "Would you care for a dance?"

She could only smile out of pure glee as she accepted his offer. He walked her to the dance floor, and they began to move in sync with each other. They were oblivious to everything else- Arnold's grandparents watching with approval, the looks from the other guests, the time- all they paid attention to was the music and each other. Arnold couldn't remove the smile from his face if he tried, for that night, he felt something for the first time in a long time.

He felt happy, inside and out.

THE END


End file.
